Drake Descant
Live life in every key
I write music, build shows, and make videos. I lead Padded Waltz, where we live-score cult 1960s sci-fi films with original music. I create music and video for Electrician U. I also run Descant Music and Art Studio, a music school here in Massachusetts.
Watch the reel, then reach out if you want to build something together.
Need music for a project?
My stuff tends to lean moody and atmospheric, but I’m versatile and I love chasing the tone a project actually needs. If you’ve got a film or game in progress, I’m happy to write a quick 60 - 90 second demo score from your footage or concept. Fastest way to see if we’re a fit.
About Drake Descant
I’m a composer and producer with a deep music background and a production-first workflow. I write for bands, live scoring performances, and video projects, and I handle the full process from concept to final mix.
I studied Composition and Music Theory at Holyoke Community College, graduating with honors, then furthered my studies at Westfield State University. Before that, I trained at the Springfield Conservatory of Music through high school, and my last year I was the closing performer on the final recital. At ages 12 and 13, I completed Berklee’s Music Theory course with Professor Lord Saxon Von Saint. And before any of that, I was in private lessons starting at age 4. Basically, I was born inside a piano.
At this point I live in the overlap of music and production. I lead Padded Waltz, where I write original music and we perform it live over cult 1960s sci-fi films, scoring the movie in real time. Some pieces are written directly to picture, some scenes get rebuilt through arrangement and texture, but the goal is always the same: make the film feel alive again. Read about the entire process HERE.
On the video side, I create content for Electrician U, where I handle the music, production, directing, editing, and the overall feel of each piece. I also co-host Musician U, which is my excuse to dork out about all things music related.
Outside of those projects, I’ve spent years writing for bands, big bands, small ensembles, and choir, and I’m constantly building records. I’ve written, recorded, performed, produced, and mixed albums across multiple projects, including The Love It Band and Padded Waltz, and I was a co-writer on Primate Fiasco’s Massachusetts Winter. I’ve also got hundreds of unreleased songs in the vault, and I’m always pulling the best ones forward.
In 2018 I opened Descant Music and Art Studio in Holyoke, Massachusetts. We’ve grown into a school with 100+ students and an incredible crew of seven teachers, and it’s become one of the things I’m proudest of.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I just finished writing my first novel. More on that soon.
If you’re here for composition, production, collaboration, or anything that needs a strong musical identity, I’m always up for the right project.
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